Further and further

I've managed to up my distance the past few days.

Yesterday, we ran through a local village, along a long and windy country lane.  I started in my TrekSports, and once we were on the lane, I took them off and ran barefoot.  My first experience of squishing in mud was encountered (rather nice), and we stopped to chat to a couple and their dogs, who acted like running barefoot was perfectly normal, and they didn't even acknowledge the shoes in my hand.

After 1.4 miles I rather relunctantly put my shoes back on for the main road, but I rather think I could have gone a bit further.  My feet had felt very comfortable without shoes.

Towards the end of the 6.5 mile run, I took them off once again, making a grand total of 1.95 miles in bare feet - a further to date.


Today we did a rainy 3 miler.  Again I started in my TrekSports, but they really rubbed in the rain, so taking them off was less of a risk than leaving them on.  In fact, it was a pleasure to remove them just under a mile before we got back, even though the ground was wet - something I usually find harder to run on.

Good progress then - it certainly helps having a supportive partner to encourage me to take off my shoes and not worry about what everyone thinks.

A lot going on

Well I've certainly made up for a poor start to the running week.  On Friday I went for my longest run for ages, wearing my Vibram TrekSports.  I did around 4 miles in them and they felt amazingly comfortable. I haven't worn these since February, and what I really noticed was that the soles are way thicker than my Classics.  I added 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end for good measure.  I think I'll be wearing these quite a lot in the colder weather.

Yesterday (Saturday) I dropped my son at his gymnastics class and got chatting to a fellow runner.  I told him I've been running almost exclusively barefoot or minimalist for some time, and he made my day by asking "Doesn't it hurt?" and "What if you step on dog poo?".  No-one has blatantly asked me these classic questions yet, so it made me chuckle.  When I got home, I tried my new Vivobarefoot Evo's for 0.8 miles, which I found really comfortable - just a slight bit of rubbing on the left big toe, but I think these will make a great substitute when barefoot's not an option, or for days when I'm keen to keep a low profile and look 'normal'!

Shortly after I had taken off my Evos off to run the last half mile barefoot, I was stopped by a passing driver who wanted directions.  I wondered if he wished he hadn't stopped me when he spotted my bare feet and shoes in hand, but to his credit he did not flinch or waver from his train of thought once.  To my own credit, I also did not flinch or look embarrased, but gave him clear directions to his destination and padded off.

Today (Sunday) I've run just over a mile without any footwear.  The weather is getting colder, and I thought it would be interesting to see how my feet fared on the cold pavement.  Air temperature just under 8 degrees Celcius, and the pavements were noticeably warmer on the sunny side of the road, but my feet coped admirably and have suffered no ill effects.  I did notice that the ground seemed more gravelly and ouchy today - I'm not sure if that was the cold or the fact that we've had lots of rain...

My OH graciously agreed to accompany me on this run, forfeiting his own pace to match my slower one, and I was very grateful for his company when a bus pulled up and offloaded it's passengers just as we ran past.  Pity there weren't any trees to hug I guess!

Why do I run barefoot?

A recent entry on the Runners Forum asked those who have posted on the thread on barefoot and minimalist running to say what motivated them to start. I found myself pondering this question in the middle of the night.  Rather than clog up the forum with a long and probably rather boring essay on my thinkings, I thought I'd write it here.

I've been running for about six years.  For the first two years, I suffered terribly with shin splits.  In hindsight I think this was due to bad form - big heel striker and far too much overstriding (I thought this was how you were supposed to run).  At that time, I read a lot about barefoot running, because I was looking for anything that might help with my problems.

Gradually, my form improved - painfully slowly, and I built up strength in my shins and calf muscles which also helped.  For the last couple of years I've had no shin splint problems.  Along the way I've picked up various minor injuries - thigh strain, dodgy knee, sore ankle - and I've been for physio and rested, then picked up again.  Trainers have been good to me on the whole.

But always in the back of my mind I've had a fascination with the idea of barefoot running.  I really can't explain why.  I wanted a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, but couldn't justify the expense.  I hoped I might get some for my 40th, but I didn't.  Last summer I read Born to Run, and by October, I'd persuaded myself that several years of Googling Vibram FiveFingers needed to end:  I needed to have a pair of my own.  I got them for my 41st birthday.

I built up really carefully, starting out with a quarter of a mile, then half a mile, and so on, until over a four week period I'd built up to just over 3 miles.  Then one wintry day at the end of November, I set out for a 3.5 mile run, but my feet were freezing.  I expected the top of foot pain I experienced to disappear after my feet had warmed up, but a mile in it just kept getting worse, and after half a mile of walking and gentle jogging, I knew I had done some damage.  Turns out I'd got a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my right foot.  Ouch :(

I duly rested, and watched my other half go out running every other day.  As I couldn't run, I read about running instead, and in particular I did more research on barefoot running.  I couldn't understand how I'd got a stress fracture when I'd been so careful.  I read Ken Bob Saxton's Step by Step guide to barefoot running, which was one of the first books I downloaded to my Christmas Kindle. I conversed with a fellow forum runner who had had an almost identical experience on switching to FiveFingers.  It began to make sense.  Whilst I had built up my distance slowly, the FiveFingers were tricking me into thinking I could run further than my feet were ready for.  The only way to truly build up distance would be to run completely barefoot.

Late in January, when I decided it was time to try a very short run for the first time in almost six weeks, I wore my trainers.  I felt that I needed the support, and I was incredibly nervous about injuring myself again.  You'd think that my experience with VFFs would have put me off barefoot or minimalist running for life, but it only served to make me more determined.  Perhaps determined is too stubborn a sounding word - it was more about being curious.  After a couple of weeks in trainers, I ran a short distance in my FiveFingers and it was ok.  Shortly after that, I took my first, very self conscious steps outdoors in bare feet.  That's where this blog really begins.

I now run barefoot at the end of every shod run I do, and I also bought a pair of FiveFinger Classics which are thinner than the TrekSports to enable me to increase my distance on rougher surfaces.  Do I think barefoot running is the holy grail to avoiding injuries?  No, definitely not.  It hasn't made me faster, and I cannot run as far as I can (and still do) in trainers.  But I have started to love the freedom I feel when my feet are in direct contact with the ground, I've built up my confidence in being seen barefoot in public, and my feet feel stronger.  In short, I think it's added a bit of spice to my running, and brought me a fresh challenge.  It is for those reasons that I will continue to run barefoot for the foreseeable future.

Little by little

Yesterday, I did 2 miles in my fives.  Nothing from my calves at all until 1.3 miles - which is significantly better than last time I ran.  I could feel the hardness of the road on the balls of my feet, but I wouldn't say it was uncomfortable.

I did rather make myself laugh though when I inadvertently ran across a patch of grass (it was very dark, and I thought it was a continuation of the pavement).  It was quite a shock to feel the squidgy softness of the ground after that hard tarmac.  At first, I thought 'yuck', but then I realised that being able to feel the ground under my feet is half the reason I bought the shoes in the first place!  I just think it'll take a while to get used to it, and out of the habit of avoiding the muddy patches.

Calves a little sore today, but not as bad as I'd feared, and not a single other ache or pain from any of my joints - hips, knees or ankles - which is lovely.

Slowly does it

Today I ran 1.5 miles in my fives.  I think I'm falling in love.  My legs felt great - no heaviness, no aching bones, no creaks and grinds.  There is still just a muscle fatigue ache in my left lower calf, which I'm sure is just a result of using a new muscle - hence the shorter distances.

But, my running is lighter, more propulsive, springier and easier.  I only did 10 min miles, but felt no real physical effort other than that dull ache in my calf.  I'm so curious to see how I feel on a longer distance that I can barely wait to try it, but I'm determined not to cause myself an injury and jump in too quick.

I've also got to a point where I feel that I could confidently wear my fivefingers out and about without feeling like a weirdo, because I can genuinely say now that I think they're amazing.  I've even thought about getting a pair to wear like slippers in the house.  Sad?  Quite possibly!

Mixing it up

Did a four miler today. First mile in my Vibram FiveFinger TrekSport, and then I switched to my trainers.

My lower calves felt a bit of a burn towards the end of the first mile, but nowhere near as much as last time I used them.  What was really strange was switching to my regular trainers straight after this. I really noticed that my toes felt like they were lost floating around inside an empty space. The other thing I wasn't keen on was what seemed like a ridiculous amount of cumbersome padding around my ankle. It felt like I'd tied foam rollers around them.

After half a mile in my trainers I could really feel the effort in my shins... the motion of putting my heel down first and then rolling forward to my toes is clearly putting strain on my shins, and probably explains my early years of shin splints.  The trainers also felt very heavy and made my legs feel heavy too.

Could it all be in my head? Or are these FiveFingers as good as they seem? All I know at the moment is that I can't wait to run a bit further in them.

Day 3

After my wholly successful first day in my FiveFingers, I was surprised to wake up on Day 2 and find that my lower legs were really quite sore - just muscle soreness, not sore in a wrong way - but sore nonetheless.  I was rather pleased I had resisted the urge to go further.  So after a rest day, I've just gone out again and done probably just under a mile.

On this run I really noticed my lower calves getting a good work out.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say they feel like my arms do when I try to do a few press ups - a serious build up of lactic.  I've given them a good stretch now so hopefully they won't feel too bad later.

But it's interesting.  I've run 13 miles and not felt it in my calves, and these shoes are making them sore after less than a mile.  I'm definitely finding some new muscles!  I particulary loved the way my feet warmed up today after a couple of minutes.  My feet were freezing at the start, but after a quarter of a mile or so, they felt lovely and toasty, and it's nice to be able to wiggle my toes whilst I'm running.

My running style is naturally very different too.  I'm padding along like a big cat, running wholly on the balls of my feet and then springing off my toes - there seems to be a greater degree of forward propulsion.  This might be braking effect of heel striking that I remember reading about.  And I haven't been using my Garmin, so I may have been going much, much slower than usual, but it seems as if it's much less effort.  There's not a drop of sweat on me (TMI??? - sorry!).

So, second day in my fives and I'm still very enthusiastic.  Off for my jacket spud now!

My new Vibram FiveFingers

I've been running for about 4 years now, having completed a number of 10k races and two half marathons, my PB being 1:58:20 in October 2011.


For many of those years, I've hankered after a pair of Vibram FiveFingers.  Why?  It's a good question.  I've read many articles about barefoot running and footwear and I've seen the pros and the cons of this type of footwear.  Maybe it's the big kid in me that things it would be good to run without trainers, or perhaps it's because I've taken to heart the views that barefoot running (or at least running with minimalist footwear) can lessen the chance of injury and lead to better posture.  Most likely it's the fact that for the first year and a half I suffered with chronic shin splits, and I started thinking 'there must be a better way'.

Whatever the reason, last week, after months of looking at different websites, blogs and pictures, I finally ordered myself a pair of Treksports, size 38.

When they arrived, I could barely bring myself to open the box in case they didn't fit, or I didn't like them.  When I tried them on, they seemed quite tight, but everything I'd read said they should be a snug fit, and that they'd give a bit after a few days use.  In particular, I found the big toe seemed to pinch quite a bit and press down on my nail, which felt a little uncomfortable.  I also struggled to get my little toes in their pockets, because I have hammer toes, and my little toes squish round and press on the next toe in.

As suggested in all the stuff I'd read, I only wore my 'fives' round the house to start with.  I did brave the outdoors and wore them to the local shop to buy some bread (just a short car trip away) - I was worried that someone would notice them, and then a bit peeved when nobody did!  Today, a week after getting them, I went for a short run.  

Day 1

On the day of my first ever run in VFFs I felt quite apprehensive, partly because I didn't want to have to explain my rather odd footwear to anyone, and partly because I really didn't know how I'd get on with them (and it's a lot of money to take a chance on!).  I ran about 3/4 mile in total, just down to our nearest main road and back. I'd read that VFFs encourage you to run on the balls of your feet, and I did wonder whether this would be the case for me too.  Without any effort at all, I found myself doing just that, running in a considerably more forefoot running style - I don't think my heels touched the ground at all.  Whilst I could feel the ground - stones and lumps - they didn't dig into my feet at all.

As my short run progressed, I could feel the balls of my feet really warming up, and I also really noticed my lower calves and ankles were getting much more of a work out.  But it felt great, really much more natural than I'd anticipated.  As I returned home, I took a slight detour down a cul-de-sac because I didn't want the run to end, but then I erred on the side of caution and went home.  I was really tempted to go straight back out again, but told myself I needed to be good and not overdo Day 1 with my fives.